ERIC ED438028: An Overview: Children and Violence. Special Report.

17 Pages·1999·0.25 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 438 028
PS 028 183
An Overview: Children and Violence. Special Report.
TITLE
Action Alliance for Virginia's Children and Youth, Richmond.
INSTITUTION
SPONS AGENCY Annie E. Casey Foundation, Baltimore, MD.
PUB DATE
1999-00-00
16p.; Special thanks to The Robins Foundation, Freddie Mac
NOTE
Foundation, and The Arlington County Medical Society
Alliance.
Action Alliance for Virginia's Children and Youth, 701 East
AVAILABLE FROM
Franklin Street, Suite 807, Richmond, VA 23219; Tel:
804-649-0184; Fax: [phone]; e-mail:
[email protected]; Web site: http://www.vakids.org.
Descriptive (141)
PUB TYPE Opinion Papers (120) Reports
EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.
*At Risk Persons; Bullying; Delinquency; Early Adolescents;
DESCRIPTORS
Educational Environment; Emotional Response; Mass Media
Effects; *Prevention; Substance Abuse; Victims of Crime;
*Violence; Young Children; Youth; *Youth Problems
Witnesses to Violence
IDENTIFIERS
ABSTRACT
This Kids Count report of the Action Alliance for Virginia's
Children and Youth reviews the role of schools, bullying, media, family
violence, gangs, and substance use in the violence experienced by children
and young people in Virginia and the United States. The report finds that
increasing numbers of young people experience violent images and messages in
the media or are either witnesses to, offenders in, or victims of violence.
Key risk factors are identified that increase the likelihood of violence
among young people: peer pressure; need for attention or respect; feelings of
low self-worth or feeling isolated or rejected; early childhood abuse or
neglect; witnessing violence at home, in the community, or in the media; and
easy access to weapons. Violence is seen as a learned but not an inevitable
response to anger or lack of control. The report also finds that effective
early prevention programs targeting younger children focus on multiple
factors associated with youth violence, are oriented to the family, and
involve long-term efforts. A number of factors are highlighted that lessen
the likelihood of violence, including early care and education and
after-school care; strong and supportive adults in family, school, and
community; parental monitoring of media in the home; and restricted
availability of weapons.
(DLH)
Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
from the original document.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
CENTER (ERIC)
SPECIAL REPORT
This document has been reproduced as
received from the person or organization
originating it.
Minor changes have been made to
improve reproduction quality.
Points of view or opinions stated in this
document do not necessarily represent
official OERI position or policy.
AN OVERVIEW:
CHILDREN
VIOLENCE
AND
PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND
DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS
BEEN GRANTED BY
1,1,0ood
TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)
1
rrn
Allix\ce
lor\
Ac
lads
count
for Virginia's Children & Youth
in Virginia
2
BnTCOPY AVAILABLE
The prevention or reduction of violence
as it affects the lives of young
people is a priority focus for the Action Alliance for Virginia's Children
and Youth. In researching and compiling this
paper, we were struck by the
complexity of the topicin terms of likely
causes and possible solutions.
This special report is part of the Action Alliance's effort
to address this
important issue.
PRODUCED BY THE ACTION ALLIANCE FOR VIRGINIA'S CHILDREN
AND YOUTH
LISA WOOD, DIRECTOR OF KIDS COUNT
SUZANNE CLARK JOHNSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
THE ANNIE E. CASEY FOUNDATION
THE ROBINS FOUNDATION
FREDDIE MAC FOUNDATION
THE ARLINGTON COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY ALLIANCE
(IN MEMORY OF THOSE LOST AT COLUMBINE HIGH SCHOOL AND IN HONOR OF THE
STUDENTS, TEACHERS, AND FAMILIES LEFT BEHIND)
The Action Alliance for Virginia's Children and Youth is the statewide, multiple-issue
child advocacy
organization. For information about membership, KIDS COUNT in Virginia,
or any of the Action
Alliance's other activities and projects, please contact:
Action Alliance for Virginia's Children and Youth
701 East Franklin Street, Suite 807
Richmond, VA 23219
Tel.: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
e-mail: [email protected]
web site: www.vakids.org
Consider the following:
Nearly 13 children die each day from gunfire in America.'
Teenagers are two-and-a-half times more likely than adults to be
victims of violence.2
hours in Virginia, a juvenile is arrested for a violent
Every 4
crime.3
Individuals who experience an initial trauma before the age of 11
psychiatric symptoms than
are three times more likely to develop
those who experience their first trauma as teens.4
Approximately 275 Virginia youth are hospitalized for assaults each
$10,400 per hospitalizations
year, with an average cost of
Chronic exposure to violence can have serious developmental
abuse,
consequences for children. "7 It can also lead to substance
delinquency, adult criminality, and emotional problems.8
Children and youth ages 12-17 are nearly three times as likely as
adults to be victims of violent crime.'
Youth crime peaks between 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm; millions of
children and youth are unsupervised during those hours.'°
Between 1979 and 1996, almost 20,000 more American children
died in combat in
were killed by firearms than all those who
Vietnam. Also between 1979 and 1996, about 225,000 more
American children and teens were wounded by firearms than
American soldiers were wounded in combat in Vietnam."
Preventing one youth from leaving school and turning to a life of
crime and drugs saves society approximately $2 million.'2
4
Children need to feel safe.
However, the US is the most violent country in the industrialized world,
having the highest numbers of homicides,
rapes, and assaults. The problem
of violence"the exertion of any force so
as to injure or abuse "' 3 is not
restricted to any one group or area. All children today
are affected by the
violence that spreads throughout the nation, the Commonwealth,
our
communities, and our homes. Violence threatens the healthy development
of children.
Some children experience violence more directly than others, but
every
child feels the effects of violence. Exposure
ranges from encountering
strong images and messages in the media to being a direct witness, victim,
or perpetrator.
Although violence and its symbols are pervasive in
our culture, violence is
not inevitable. It is a learned behavior in response to stress.
Preventing acts of violence and maintaining
a safe and secure environment
for children is a major responsibility and obligation of society.
Is violence really an epidemic among young people today,
or is there just
increased attention and media coverage regarding the issue? Do certain
characteristics or behaviors predict whether or not
a child will commit one
or more violent acts? Is there a gene for violence?
"Youth violence is very
widespread in our
society. It is not just a
problem for the poor,
or minorities, or those
in large cities. It crosses
all class, race, gender,
and residence bound-
aries. It is a problem for
all Americans.
°a
5
youth violence takes many forms.
It ranges from aggressive verbal assaults to physical harm to death.
Each violent event is a
chance occurrence, in
The victim or the perpetrator (or both) may be a young person. Outcomes,
the sense that no
severity, and causal factors may differ. Not all children respond to difficult
human characteristic,
set of circumstances, or
situations in the same way. Figuring prominently in youth violence are the
chain of events makes
perpetrator's age and developmental level, temperament, community
violence inevitable.
environment, family dynamics, and social and learning experiences. There is no
single reason or cause for violent behaviors.
Young people who commit violent offenses often have many simultaneously-
existing problems in their lives. The presence of these problemsor risk factors
does not cause violence to occur; it just increases the likelihood that violence will
result. Some key risk factors for violence have been identified:"
peer pressure
need for attention or respect
"Although many believe
feelings of low self-worth; feeling isolated or rejected
that violence is the
early childhood abuse or neglect
direct, inevitable result
witnessing violence at home, in the community, or in the media
of extreme anger or
inadequate impulse
easy access to weapons
control, research
suggests that [these]
Most violent behavior is learned behavior. We all have some potential for violent
put an individual at
behavior; we have observed others using violence and know how to do it. "Like
risk for violence only
money and knowledge, violence is a form of power, and for some youth, it is the
if violent acts are that
person's preferred
only form of power available."15
response learned
through past
At an early age, children often learn aggression is an effective way to deal with
experiences. "b
conflict. According to research, it is possible to predict from an eight-year-old's
aggressive behavior in school how aggressive that child will be in adolescence and
adulthoodincluding whether he or she will exhibit criminal and antisocial
behavior.' 6
The earlier a child begins to commit violent offenses, the greater likelihood he or
she will continue to do so. Studies have found that about 50% of children who
begin committing violent offenses before the age of nine become chronic violent
offenders during adolescence, compared with about 40% who begin committing
violent offenses between the ages of 10 and 12, and 23% who began at age 13
"Road rage begins with
tricycle rage and Hot
or older.' 7
Wheels rage.",
Younger juveniles account for a substantial proportion of juvenile arrests and the
juvenile court caseload. In the US, about one-third of juveniles arrested in 1997
were under the age of 15. The most common reasons for these juvenile arrests
were arson, sex offenses, vandalism, and larceny-theft. It has been shown that less
serious problem behaviors precede more serious delinquency. Teenagers who end
up in court for serious offenses typically began to have problems at the age of 7)8
As noted youth violence expert James Garbarino says, "violent teens are likely to
have been aggressive kids."19
Research indicates that juvenile violence prevention programs that target older
children are not as successful as programs that target younger children and their
An Overview: Children and Violence
6
"Rather than waking until
families. These early intervention programs have some characteristics in
violence has been learned
common: they focus on multiple factors associated with youth violence;
and practiced and then
they are family-oriented; and they involve long-term efforts, often lasting
devoting increased
years.2°
resources to hiring
policemen, building more
prisons, and sentencing
There is evidence that a good relationship with a parent, marked by warmth
three-time offenders to life
and the absence of severe criticism, can have a substantial protective, or
imprisonment, It would
"buffering," effect against the development of later antisocial behavior.
be more effective to
Evidence from many studies suggests that hostile or rejecting parenting and
redirect the resources
lack of parental supervision are associated with children's subsequent
to early violence prevention
programs, particularly
antisocial behavior and delinquency.2'
for young children and
adolescents."°
Much research points to the benefits of early childhood education in
reducing or preventing later violent behaviors. A review of seven major
studies showed that adolescents who had received early childhood
education, when compared to those who had not, had lower rates of
delinquency, higher rates of high school graduation, and higher rates of
sustained employment.22 Other studies show that preschool education
"America's fight against
violence must begin in the
"strengthens children's bonds to schooling." It leads to improved classroom
high chair, not the electric
conduct and improved personal behavior as rated by elementary school
chair. Anything less leaves
teachers; children who have had preschool education also show a reduced
America's police fighting
frequency of being kept after class and a decrease in teenage delinquent
with one hand tied
behavior.23 And, other research indicates preschool's "lasting beneficial
behind our backs."
effects" in decreasing delinquency and crime, even in the long term. At the
- George Sweat, chief of police,
Winston-Salem, NC
age of 19, those who had had preschool education had fewer self-reports of
involvement with the police, in gangs, in serious fights, or in causing
someone an injury that "required bandages or a doctor."24
Factors regularly associated with chronic delinquency include a history of
antisocial behavior in childhood (such as frequent fighting, hitting, stealing,
"We've seen enough to
vandalism, or lying), perinatal difficulties, neurological and biological
know that there will be a
factors, low school achievement, low IQ, low verbal ability, neighborhoods
booming business in yellow
crime scene tape and
characterized by social disorganization and violence, parental criminality and
caskets for innocent people
substance abuse, inconsistent and/or harsh parenting practices, low
until government's invest-
socioeconomic status, and exposure to media violence.25
ments in prisons and police
are matched by front-end
investments for children."
Living in violent environments creates an "extra energy drain" for a child,
and he or she must be "hypervigilant." The avoidance of risk becomes so
- Edward Flynn, chief of police,
Arlington, VA
extreme it leads to a diminished sense of achievement and mastery.26 For
instance, a child who is fearful in her neighborhood will be less inclined to
go outside and play; her fear immobilizes her. Her sense of exploration is
suppressed, and her comprehensive development is impaired.
"When a child has received
SCHOOLS
the services he or she
Schools have often been regarded as "safe havens" for students; however, a
needs, there may be a store
1999 Gallup poll found that 47% of American parents fear for their
that isn't robbed, an elderly
woman who isn't held up at
children's safety at school. (This may be due in large part to the recent
gunpoint, or a police officer
rampages of violence at our nation's schools.) A 1998 study by the
who doesn't lose his life
National Center for Education Statistics found that about 21% of high
enforcing the law."
schools, 19% of middle schools, and 4% of elementary schools have at
- Melvin Wearing, chief of police,
New Haven, CT
least one serious violent crime per year.
7
2
An Overview: Children and Violence
But, schools may indeed be one of the safest places for young people, in
School violence is a
terms of fatalities. According to the Centers for Disease Control and
community problem that
Prevention, fewer than 1% of all homicides among school-aged children
happened to get through the
occur in or around school grounds or on the way to and from school. To
schoolhouse door.°
put this issue into perspective, the Justice Policy Institute reports that the
number of children killed by gun violence in schools is about half the
number of Americans killed annually as a result of being struck by lightning.
Traditionally, schools have relied on various disciplinary measures to correct
behavior problems among students. School discipline reports provide other
useful information on school violence. For the 1996-97 school year,
Virginia had nearly 102 school suspensions per 1,000 students, and an
A 1998 study by the
Centers for Disease Control
average of 164 fights per day took place in Virginia schools.27 Virginia data
and Prevention shows that
on school violence indicate that physical fighting peaks during the upper
about I in 5 teenagers
middle school years.28
carries a gun, knife, or dub
every daybefore, during,
Children deserve to feel secure and out of harm's way in schools. When
or after school. In Virginia,
children's energies are directed toward defending themselves or addressing
statistics indicate that
weapon incidents peak in
their fears, they have difficulty learning in school. Researchers found that
public schools in grades
many children who faced life-threatening situations or who witnessed injuries
7 -9.'
to others had serious difficulty in concentrating and performing in school29
and that children who experienced violent events "during their first six years
of life could not learn in a normal classroom situation. The recurring threats
in these children's environment may constitute a 'lifelong expectation of
aggression, violence, exclusion, derogation, and defeat' for them.""
When dealing with violence, some school-based strategies seem to "turn the
tide" effectively. Schools have had success with forms of mediation in
Bullies see the world with a
dealing with student conflicts. A project that involved fifth gradersmany of
paranoid's eye. They see
whom had behavior problemsserving as mediators in aggressive playground
threats where none exist,
incidents was responsible for a more than 50% reduction in such
and they take these
occurrences.3' Research shows that first grade teachers are one of the more
imagined threats as
provocations to strike back.
powerful determinants for later violence; if they are not viewed as effective
They areby the age of 7 or
by the child, he or she is 20 times more likely to exhibit aggressive behaviors
8already in the habit of
by the seventh grade.32
misinterpreting an innocent
brush or bump as a blatant
attack.'
BULLYING
Bullying is defined as peer abuse in school. It encompasses a continuum of
behaviorsfrom the physical acts of hair pulling, biting, and hitting; to the
verbal acts of teasing and name calling; to the emotional acts of humiliating
and extorting; to the sexual acts of exhibitionism, harassment, and abuse.
While active and assertive play is a normal part of childhood, bullies are
characterized by their quickness to start a fight, belligerence, use of force
and intimidation, little empathy for others, overt aggression, destructive
A 1993 survey found that
tendencies, and enjoyment of dominating other children."
20% of suburban students
recommend shooting some-
Studies have found that bullying in early childhood may predict the
one "who has stolen some-
development of violent tendencies, delinquency, and criminality.34 Bullying
thing from you," while 8%
believe it is acceptable to
tends to increase in middle schoolit may be used as a strategy to establish
shoot a person "who has
dominance in new peer groups as the students enter a new and bigger
done something to offend or
school.35 Young bullies have about a 1-in-4 chance of having a criminal
insult you. "b
record by the time they are 30; other children have about a 1-in-20 chance
of becoming adult criminals.36
An Overview: Children and Violence
A sampling of gun-related
Gums
accidents that occurred in
The ready availability of guns has broadened the scope and severity of
in 1996:
Virginia
violence among youth. Research suggests that one reason for more violent
Thinking she heard
juvenile crime is that juveniles have access to more sophisticated, more
fireworks, a Norfolk
lethal weaponry. The "codes of conduct" that applied years agothat told
3-year-old was killed
youth when to walk away, when to talk it out, and when to fightno longer
by gunfire when she
raised the blind of her
govern. In the past, conflicts were resolved in violent, but non-deadly ways.
second-story bedroom
Because juveniles now have more access to guns, and the street rules have
window.
changed, youth today are likely to resolve their disputes in "more lethal
A 10-year-old in
ways."37 Research shows that "handguns are more likely to be owned by
Lexington was accidentally
socially deviant youth than by their more socially adjusted peers, even in
shot and killed at a shooting
those sections of the country in which firearms and hunting are fairly
range by an instructor
common."38 The violent use of guns is not limited to conflicts with others;
with 16 years' experience.
the Children's Defense Fund reports that guns are the most common
In Portsmouth, a 7-year-
method of suicide for children.
old, hearing gunfire, hid in
the bathroom. Upon
emerging, she was shot and
Carrying a gun "for protection" does not eliminate the risk of being a victim
killed in crossfire.
of gunfire. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveyed
A Richmond 15-year-old
children who had been shot; 35% of the victims were carrying guns when
was shot and killed when a
they themselves were shot.
handgunthat he and two
Mends found in a vanwas
The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that 1.2 million
fired accidentally.
latchkey children have access to guns when they come home from school.
-Information supplied by
The New England Journal of Medicine states that "the presence of a gun in
Virginians Against
Handgun Violence
a home increases the likelihood of homicide in that home almost threefold
and of suicide fivefold."
Gunshot woundsas well as other outcomes of violencedo not always
result in fatalities; an injury that does not result in death is defined as an
assault. Nationally, the non-fatal assault rate has risen more than 730% in
the past 40 years.39 According to the Virginia Department of Health, about
275 Virginia youth are hospitalized for non-fatal assaults each year, at an
average cost of $10,400 per hospitalization.
Ina 1999 Gallup poll, 61%
of voters said that the April
What about children who are "too young" to carry guns? According to a
1999 school shootings in
recent Harper's Index, Americans spend more than $100 million on toy
Littleton, Colorado, were
guns every year. Do these toys encourage violent behavior? Experiments
due to a lack of gun control
examining the short-term effects of playing with aggressive toys indicate that
laws that keep guns out of
children's hands.
youngsters are far more apt to become aggressively stimulated for a time
afterward, than to become "more peaceful and cooperative." Studies about
long-term effects suggest that rehearsing and reinforcing these "scripts for
behavior" firmly entrenches them, and they are then likely to be
"generalized to realistic situations."4°
MEDIA
Our society's heavy involvement with the media is often linked to violence.
For the last 20 years, there
has been one overriding
Whether from television, movies, music videos, video games, or the
finding: the mass media are
Internet, most experts agree that a child's frequent exposure can lead to a
significant contributors to
desensitization of mass media violence.4' "Viewing violence in the media
the aggressive behavior and
can lead to increased violence toward others, increased fearfulness about
aggression-related attitudes
becoming a victim of violence, increased callousness toward violence among
of many children, adoles-
cents, and adults.'
others, and increased self-initiated behavior that exposes one to further risk
9
4
An Overview: Children and Violence
of violence."42 A primary complaint about media violence is that it rarely
depicts the harmful and lasting consequences of real-life violence.
Few researchers bother any
longer to dispute that
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the critical period of
bloodshed on TV and in the
movies has an effect on kids
exposure to media violence is preadolescent childhood.
who witness ft.
- Time magazine'
Youth who recently testified before the American Psychological Association
Task Force outlined what they perceive as major influences in the media: the
mere presence of violence, the lack of nonviolent role models, the constant
imaging of a society in which "the good life" canand mustbe attained,
and the media portrayal of aggression as a means to solve conflict.
Television is much different today than it was a decade or so ago. Today,
about 98% of American households have television.43 Within these homes,
the television is on about 28 hours per week for children 2-1 1, and 23
hours per week for teenagers. Among children, television viewing occupies
more time than any other non-school activity and accounts for more than
By the age of 18, the
one-half of leisure time activity."
average child will have seen
40,000 killings and
200,000 acts of violence on
Recent studies indicate that children with VCR (video cassette recorder) or
television.
cable access have seen "more R-rated films than their non-cable, non-VCR
- American Medical
counterparts. The fact [is] that many of these films would not be shown on
Association
k
commercial television, or if they were, much of the violence and sex would
be cut."4s
Television increases its "viewers' potential for perpetrating violence," and it
often leads to behavioral and psychological indifference to violence against
others, growing mistrust of others, an increased "mean world" view, and an
exaggerated view of both the prevalence and appropriateness of violence in
the real world.46
More than 60% of men portrayed on American television are involved in
violence.47 Unfortunately, this number includes the "good guys" who are
idolized by children; many of these heroes "do good" through violent
action, which reinforces violence's role in day-to-day activities.
The American Medical Association found that nearly one-third of male
felons imprisoned for committing violent crimes reported to have
"For kids already at risk
"consciously imitated crime techniques learned from television programs."
for aggressive behaviors,
They also hypothesize that "if television technology had never been
[playing violent video
games) is like adding
developed, there would today be 10,000 fewer homicides each year in the
gasoline to the fire."
[US], 70,000 fewer rapes, and 700,000 fewer injurious assaults."48
Cartoons often are thought of as innocuous, and not depicting "real"
violence. According to the National Coalition on Television Violence,
Saturday morning network programming featured 20 violent acts per hour
in 1989-90. In a 1991 national survey, 91% of responding teachers
reported increased violence among children in their classrooms as a result of
"cross-media marketing of violent cartoons, toys, videos, and other licensed
products."49
Video games "can increase aggression in children, make them more fearful
An Overview: Children and Violence
10